Quick answer
The most common reason a garage door won’t open is a broken spring: the opener runs or hums but the door stays down, or lifts a few inches and stops. Other causes are a dead remote or keypad, no power to the opener, a locked door, an opener that has been disconnected by the emergency release, a snapped cable or a door off its track. If you can see a gap in a spring or a loose cable, stop and call a technician.
Start with what the door and opener do when you press the button. The symptom narrows the cause down quickly, and tells you whether it is something you can check yourself.
Match the symptom to the cause
| What happens | Most likely cause |
|---|---|
| Motor runs or hums, door does not move | Broken spring, opener disconnected, or a worn drive gear |
| Door lifts a few inches, then stops or reverses | Broken spring (the opener senses the extra weight and stops) |
| Wall button works, remote does not | Remote battery, lock mode on, or the remote needs reprogramming |
| Nothing happens and the opener light is off | No power: outlet, breaker or GFCI outlet |
| Door moves crooked or hangs on one side | Snapped or slipped cable, or the door is off track |
| Door will not move even by hand | Manual lock engaged, or the door is jammed in the track |
1. A broken spring
The springs lift the door, not the opener. When a spring breaks, often with a loud bang, the door suddenly weighs its full weight and the opener cannot lift it. Look at the spring on the bar above the door: a gap of an inch or two in the coil means it has snapped. Do not keep pressing the button, which strains the opener, and do not try to lift the door by hand. See broken garage door spring: what to do.
2. The opener has no power
If the opener light does not come on, check that the opener is plugged in, that the breaker has not tripped, and that any GFCI outlet in the garage has not tripped. Pressing its reset button often restores power.
3. The remote or keypad
If the wall button works but the remote does not, replace the remote battery first. Then check the wall console: many have a lock or vacation button that disables every remote and keypad. If neither helps, the remote may need to be reprogrammed using the learn button on the opener.
4. The opener is disconnected
If someone has pulled the red emergency release cord, the opener will run but the door stays put. The trolley on the rail is no longer attached to the door. Most openers reconnect when you run the opener through a cycle so the trolley catches the door again; check your opener’s manual for its exact steps.
5. The door is locked
Some doors have a manual slide lock on the inside of a lower section. If it is engaged, the door cannot rise and the opener will strain or reverse. Slide it open and try again.
6. A cable or the track
If the door is crooked, one side is lower than the other, or a cable is hanging loose, stop. The door is no longer evenly supported. See broken garage door cable and garage door off track.
7. The opener itself has failed
If the power is on, the door is disconnected and lifts easily by hand, but the opener still will not move it, the fault is in the opener: commonly a worn drive gear, a failed capacitor or a circuit board. Opener repairs cost $125–$350. See garage door opener not working.
How to get your car out now
If the springs and cables are intact, you can disconnect the opener and lift the door by hand. Follow our step by step guide to opening a stuck garage door safely. If a spring or cable is broken, do not lift it. Call us and we will tell you honestly how soon we can be there.
Common questions
Why is my garage door not opening but the motor is running?
Usually a broken spring, an opener that has been disconnected by the emergency release, or a worn drive gear inside the opener. Check the spring above the door for a gap first. If the spring is intact and the door lifts easily by hand, the problem is in the opener.
Why won’t my garage door open with the remote, but it works with the wall button?
Replace the remote battery, then make sure the lock or vacation feature on the wall console is off. If it still does not work, the remote needs to be reprogrammed to the opener.
Can I open my garage door if a spring is broken?
Not safely. Without the spring, the door’s full weight is on you or the opener, and it can drop suddenly. Leave it closed and call a technician.
How much does it cost to fix a garage door that won’t open?
It depends on the cause. Most common repairs are $125–$350. Replacing one spring is $400–$650 and a pair $650–$950. Opener repairs are $125–$350. You get the exact price in writing before any work begins.
